Navigating inherited “intensive surveillance” within Japan's structural norms of autonomy: maternal identity negotiation among long-term Peruvian migrant mothers (1990–2025)
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Introduction: This study examines how Peruvian mothers who have settled in Japan for decades rework their identities as mothers. These women were raised with the belief that being a good mother means constantly watching over and protecting their children. But in Japan, child-rearing pushes children toward independence from a young age. This study asks: What happens when these two different approaches of mothering meet? Methods: We interviewed 21 Peruvian mothers who had lived in Japan for 17-35 years. Results: The analysis identified four identity positions to this cultural friction. The first is holding firmly to Peruvian maternal scripts ("Ideological Retention"). The second is following Japanese conventions in public while keeping Peruvian ways at home ("Compartmentalization"). The third is moving away from inherited protective scripts and adopting Japanese norms of independence ("Assimilation"). The fourth is blending elements of both into a maternal self that is "neither the one nor the other" (a "Third Space"). Discussion: This study helps us understand that migrant mothers do not simply choose between their home and new cultures. Instead, they actively work to create a way of mothering through a process we call Reflexive Continuity that makes sense for their unique situations.
Source: Frontiers in Sociology
Institution: Okayama University
Language: English
Subfield: Demography
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Gender equality
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,418
OpenAlex ID: W7221478124